Update - The Move

The movers finally decided to mosey on over with our stuff around July 5. It's ok because it took almost that whole week to get the right darn green paint color chosen and twice coated in Ginger's room - finally settled on Tart Apple. We also did a lot of planning and pre-shopping for things like rugs and furniture. (While sometimes unavoidable, a 4-hour trip to IKEA with 2 stir-crazy kids is not highly recommended.) Once our stuff was in we spent a day and then a week in an unpacking frenzy. Ed was a workhorse but I burned out by the end of the week. Also returned to IKEA for a buying trip to get a few things, still need one more trip there. I'm desperate to have some kind of modern, cohesive look to our home but I'm a design amateur. I have a vague vision I'm working towards, and Ed and I both feel a strong desire to graduate from the grad-school apartment look to a clean and peaceful home that feels great to be in. We're not there yet.

By the beginning of this week, when Ed started work, we were about 85% unpacked, and remain so. That last stubborn bit of boxes and - oh, the horror - miscellaneous - I'm coming to hate that word - stuff is still sitting around and unfortunately we are starting to live with it like that. You know, step around the boxes as if they're part of the landscape. We'll do another unpack push this weekend and see if we can remedy some trouble spots. But on the whole it's great to be here. The girls love the house and so do we. Soon we'll be open for business (visitors.)

I'm working on another post about the new ward (church) and an update on the girls in general. Unfortunately the computer is now off in a remote corner of the house, not in the middle of everything like before, so I don't get to it as often, but believe me, I'm working my way back.

Camping in the Brooklyn apartment:

Moving Lessons

We are still in limbo, staying at my parents' house until our stuff comes, supposedly Saturday. Painting the girls' rooms at the new house, window shopping at IKEA, taking care of other little stuff, but mostly sick of being homeless. Painting walls and sitting in traffic between Fairfax and Arlington have given me plenty of thinking time. Here are a few notes to self on the moving process:

• You have to stop living in the place several days before the movers come if you expect to be ready. It's impossible to be ready if you're still trying to live there, especially with kids.
• Movers are scumbags, a necessary evil, considering the alternative. When you work hard to choose the right mover, checking reviews, fine print, Better Business Bureau, and obtaining several estimates, and the one you choose still underestimates your costs by almost half, the moving team foreman turns hostile regarding the tip for his guys, and they bring your stuff almost a week later than promised, it is a reminder that moving is a gigantic hassle, no matter how you do it.
• Choosing the right shade of green paint is very tricky business. Totally, totally worth it to buy samples of all shades you're considering, paint them on the wall in question and check at different times of day before buying the gallons. Green is not to be trifled with.
  
• Now is the time to double up on patience with the kiddos - their life is turned completely upside down and their understanding is limited. Their stress is manifested in really obnoxious ways but try to see it for what it is. While nearly impossible, also try to get them enough good sleep and healthy food.
• Start packing even earlier than too early. Pack, pack, pack. It takes four times longer than you think. And don't avoid the awkward stuff, just pack it all. Don't keep things out because you think you might use it in the months before your move - you won't because you'll be too busy packing! Tape is your friend.
  
• If you're moving to a new location where you'll need to register your car and get new drivers' licenses, check the websites ahead of time and make sure to pull all needed documents so you can take care of business while you're waiting the extra week for your stuff to come, instead of sadly realizing some of the information is packed in a box somewhere and in the hands of the dregs of society.
  
• Be nice to Ed. Not only is he working hard to get things done and help with the girls, he's putting up with you.
  

Snapshot

Tonight, 6:26 pm.

"Mama, what's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"No, green is Daddy's favorite color."

"Blue."

"No, blue is my favorite color."

Wait for further instructions.

"Your favorite color can be pink or red."

"Red."

"Yes, your favorite color is red."

I guess my favorite color is red.

Is it easy being green?

Oprah says it is. Last week I caught a rerun about Being Green and it did get me thinking, "What can I do? What can I change?" After about 10 different segments, though, I started to feel that it's not so easy, and that if I don't do everything they talked about I am letting the world down. Luckily my perspective has settled down after a few days, and I've been taking mental stock. I already have a few environmentally sound habits. I could try to pick up a few more.

One of Oprah's guests was Elizabeth Rogers, author of The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time. Sometimes I'm a sucker for a good how-to guide, but not this one. I don't need the simple steps like using fewer paper napkins and refusing ATM receipts. True, I could do those, but I still need to do some glaring basics. I already know I should avoid styrofoam and use the back of printer paper. I know I'm late to the game and I'm proceeding in baby steps, but I think I can do a little more. Besides, there's plenty on the internet and that doesn't use paper like a book...

Here's my mental stock -

Already doing:

• For big shopping trips I bring my own fabric tote bags. I've been doing this for years so it's second nature to grab a pile of them on my way out the door. The other advantage to using these is they hold more and have long handles. This is handy for hauling groceries across a parking lot, down several blocks, through a series of locked doors, and up several flights of stairs. I don't know what it is to park in a driveway (or garage, even!) right by my front door.
• Recycle plastic, glass, paper and metal
• Reuse ziploc and plastic shopping bags
  
• Use refillable water bottle from home instead of buying bottled water
• More as a consequence of our location and forced lifestyle than as any effort we're making, we use very little gas for the car, and walk or use public transportation for the most part. But hey, I can still claim we do that.
  

Ready to try:

• Non-toxic household cleaners - I ordered Shaklee's Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate and some spray bottles. If I like the clean it produces I'm definitely willing to switch. We haven't had any problems with more mainstream chemical cleaners, but I know I'll feel better using non-toxic products, both for my family's health and the good of the environment.
• Eco-friendly detergent - I still have 1/2 a bottle of Tide I'm going to use up, but then I'm willing to try a new natural detergent like Charlie's, Seventh Generation, Allen's, etc.
  
• Non-chlorine diapers - I'm a Pampers fan myself but I just ordered a package of Seventh Generation non-chlorine diapers to try out. I found it leaked in the overnight trial but works great for daytime (shorter time span.) These are notably more expensive than other diapers, but I will continue to buy them when I can and maybe alternate with cheaper ones. Of course cloth diapers are the ultimate way to go green here, but I'm not quite there yet (at least not until I have my own washer/dryer.)
• This is kind of a general one, but I'm ready to consciously buy more organic food and maybe even clothes. I know it can be better for my family and the environment, and I want to support organic growers. Again, weighing the cost, and keeping practical. But I am looking forward to living near a Whole Foods again!
  
• Use fewer paper towels - I admit I use them a lot. But I've started more consciously keeping dish towels around the kitchen and on the table to wipe hands on, and old baby washcloths to clean faces and hands after meals.
  

Maybe someday:

• Cloth diapers - I feel like this could be my ultimate green contribution to the environment, considering how many millions of diapers our family uses. And they have come a long way since even Hazel was born - they are very user friendly these days. I just can't face it until I've got my own laundry, but that is only 6 months away. I should also consider cloth wipes.
  
• On Oprah's show, a family had their energy company come do an energy audit of their home, resulting in energy-saving suggestions like outlet gaskets, low-flow showerheads, and window weatherstripping. This seems like a great place to start conserving energy and energy bills...when I have a home.
• Energy saving light bulbs - I saw an Oprah a few years ago with Leonardo DiCaprio pushing these bulbs. It sounded reasonable so I got some for our living room. I kept them in for 6 months but couldn't stand the life-sucking flourescent light and switched back to energy-sucking incandescents. I don't know, I'm very particular about my mood lighting. That living room didn't have any windows (cheap dungeon basement apartment), so the light bulbs really affected things. However, I would use these bulbs in places like laundry room, porch light, garage, home office. I just don't have any of those rooms right now.
  
• Hybrid car - why wouldn't I? Our clunker is not getting any younger so we will be in the market for a new car, possibly two, in the next few years. There are several makes and models of hybrid cars and it's a smart and responsible way to go if you can find one to fit all your safety and other needs. A glaring gap in the market is a hybrid minivan, but apparently it's on the way. That's what I'm waiting for.

Obviously there's always more a person can do. I'm sure most of you are doing more than I am, but we all start somewhere.

What do you do? What products or activities have you embraced in an effort to treat the earth right? What other suggestions do you have for me?